A procedure has been launched in Belarus to transfer Sofia Sapieha to Russia - lawyer

The procedure for the transfer of the Russian woman Sofya Sapega, convicted in Belarus, to her homeland has been launched. This was reported to TASS and Dozhd by her lawyer Anton Gashinsky. At the same time, he refused to specify the timing.

On April 2, the Baza telegram channel published a post stating that Sapieha's parents filed a petition with the Russian Ministry of Justice to transfer the girl to a colony in Russia. The publication clarified that the Belarusian side agreed to the transfer, and that the family of the prisoner is now waiting for the Russian court. He must determine how long Sapieha will have to spend in a Russian colony.

Previously, the convict filed a petition for pardon, but it was rejected. After that, Alexander Lukashenko said that he considers the transfer of Sapieha to Russia possible.

The girl was detained on May 23, 2021 at the Minsk airport along with the former editor-in-chief of the Nexta telegram channel Roman Protasevich. They flew on a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, but the plane made an unscheduled landing in the capital of Belarus. In May 2022, Sapega was sentenced to six years in prison under articles on inciting hatred (Article 130 of the Criminal Code of Belarus) and illegal collection and dissemination of information about private life (Article 179 of the Criminal Code of Belarus).

According to investigators, the girl administered the Black Book of Belarus telegram channel, which published personal data of the Belarusian security forces.

Roman Protasevich has been under house arrest since June 2021. He is charged under six criminal articles, for example, on publicly insulting Lukashenko, creating an extremist formation and calling for the seizure of power. On February 16, 2023, the Minsk Regional Court began considering his case.

The Belarusian Human Rights Center "Viasna" recognized Sofya Sapega and Roman Protasevich as political prisoners.

Sources: TASS , Dozhd , Baza , Spring

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